One of the eternal struggles of hosting Thanksgiving is figuring out how much food to make. It’s hard enough to determine the right-sized turkey; but you also need to consider the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, mac and cheese, and more. And then you also have to make sure there’s enough room for dessert (because you can reasonably expect at least a few pies to make an appearance). The mere thought of it all stresses us out.
In an attempt to alleviate some of the anxiety, Williams Sonoma posted a guide on Instagram to help Thanksgiving meal planners figure out how much food each guest should be served. It’s a godsend—in theory. But in reality, their suggested portion sizes ended up being more controversial than expected.
Many of their recommendations came under scrutiny from commenters, but few were as contested as the one for stuffing. Williams Sonoma suggests serving each guest ¾ of a cup, and commenters agree that it's not nearly enough.
“I think the stuffing part is a typo. 3-4 cups per person is what they meant, surely,” one user wrote. Another added, “3/4 cup stuffing??? Ima pass on that invite 😂”
Williams Sonoma also veered on the scant side for other Thanksgiving sides like mashed potatoes and rolls. Salad, on the other hand, seems to be abundant at their holiday gatherings.
“There are 364 OTHER days for salad,” a user commented. And as much as we love a bright and refreshing raw vegetable to complement the other rich and savory sides, we’re inclined to agree. Do we really go to Thanksgiving to fill half of our plate with lettuce? We didn’t think so.
An inherent flaw with Williams Sonoma’s guide is the ideology of making just enough food to feed everyone. But commenters argue that a main part of Thanksgiving’s appeal is the bounty of leftovers. Transforming your leftovers into something greater (like our Thanksgiving Crunchwrap, for example) is arguably more exciting than the main event.
Despite the critiques in the comments section, there was one recommendation that most people could cosign: the wine. Williams Sonoma suggests setting aside anywhere from one half to an entire bottle of wine per person. One person drinking a whole bottle of wine by themselves might seem excessive; but if you consider the fact that your guests will be slowly sipping over the span of several hours, four glasses is actually pretty reasonable.
What do you think about this Thanksgiving portions guide? Let us know in the comments.
